Bass Pro to open Colorado Springs store Nov. 20

COURTESY PHOTO/BASS PRO SHOPS
The Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Denver features the lodge-like exteriors and outdoor-themed interiors in place at the Colorado Springs store set to open Nov. 20.

the pueblo chieftain

Published: November 8, 2013;Last modified: November 8, 2013 10:31AM

In less than two weeks, Southern Coloradans will no longer need to make the drive to Denver for an outdoor superstore.

The new Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Colorado Springs will open at 6 p.m. Nov. 20 following a ribbon-cutting ceremony, the retailer announced this week.

The store spans 120,000 square feet.

It features retail merchandise, Uncle Buck’s Fishbowl and Grill, a bowling alley, a 27,000-gallon freshwater aquarium, artwork, museum pieces and children play areas.

The store will employ 250 to 400 full- and part-time workers.

It is located near Interstate 25 and Northgate Boulevard in north Colorado Springs, part of the city’s new Copper Ridge retail development.

“Bass Pro Shops’ uniquely designed, award-winning stores are often considered to be part museum, art gallery, antique store and aquarium, and centers for conservation education and fun,” the retailer said in a statement announcing the opening date.

Among the store’s custom features:

The store lobby, which is designed to resemble a Western hunting lodge’s trophy room, features a mural depicting the Pikes Peak area.

A balcony, extending all around the lobby, displays trophy wildlife mounts.

A fireplace, constructed of massive boulders and large, stacked rock goes from floor to ceiling and boasts a sculptured metal grill with natural elk sheds.

A handcrafted chandelier made from natural elk sheds and moose paddles hangs from the ceiling.

Other murals and dioramas throughout the store include:

A herd of bison, pursued by a pack of wolves, thunder across the plains over the greeter’s desk.

A wall in the camping department shows an exquisite scene of the red rock formations found in the Garden of the Gods.

Fall-flecked aspens in a mural in the hunting department highlights deer, pheasants and turkey.

In ladies’ apparel, a moose stands near a lake where Canada geese are taking flight.

A beaver works on his dam in the gift department.

A diorama of a campsite complete with bighorn sheep, rattlesnakes and an Arctic Cat® ATV extends 20 feet in the air near the Tracker Marine department.